To promote research in the humanities, 10 liberal arts tenured or tenure-track faculty will receive Humanities Research Awards totaling $150,000 from the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin.
The college is accepting applications now and will announce the award winners for the 2009-10 academic year in December.
In order to provide a final push for research projects in the humanities that are well under way, the awards will support research-related expenses such as travel, archival costs, supplies and materials. The 10 three-year awards are capped at $5,000 per year, for a total of $15,000 each. Ten more will be awarded in 2010-11.
“Bringing research projects to completion, in absence of a regular sabbatical, can be a challenge,” said Esther Raizen, associate professor of Middle Eastern studies and associate dean of special projects in the College of Liberal Arts. “Sometimes a small amount is all it takes to make it happen, and we hope that the award will make it possible for recipients to complete their projects and further the humanities research that takes place within the College of Liberal Arts.”
After receiving the award, recipients will be expected to produce a book or a set of articles and make their work known to the academic community, which will help junior faculty take essential steps along the path to promotion. They will also be required to meet as a group once every semester to discuss their work.
“One purpose of the award is to create a community of active scholars that transcends departments,” Raizen said. “Our hope is that the synergy created will foster success of individual projects during the award period and perhaps will lead to collaborative projects in the future.”
